Current Affairs Quiz-September, 2020

Notes:
The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the performance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) under EASE Banking Reforms Index 2.0. EASE stands for “Enhanced Access and Service Excellence”.
Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce were the top three in the list of “Top Performers”. Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India and erstwhile Corporation Bank were the leading banks in ‘Top Improvers’ category.

Notes:
In order to boost applied research and innovation in MSMEs and start-ups, the Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog has launched “ARISE ANIC”.
ANIC stands for “Atal New India Challenges” and ARISE stands for “Applied Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises”. The programme is to be driven by ISRO along with 4 ministries namely Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Notes:
The Naval Force of Iran has started a three-day exercise in the Sea of Oman named ‘Zolfaghar-99’, in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The Navy is expected to test-fire surface-to-surface and shore-to-sea cruise missiles and rocket-launching systems fitted on warships, submarines, aircraft and drones. The exercise also aims to devise defensive strategies to safeguard the country’s territorial regions.

Notes:
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0.
The Climate Centre for Cities under National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) will implement the program. It aims to provide a plan for cities to combat Climate Change while implementing their actions. He also launched a pedestrian-friendly program ‘Streets for People Challenge’.

Notes:
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has become the first Indian company to surpass USD 200 billion in market capitalisation. The RIL had market capitalisation of Rs.15.3 trillion (USD 208 billion).
RIL is followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with market capitalization of Rs 8.75 trillion (USD 119 billion). RIL is the 40th most valuable firm globally.

Notes:
The Results of the 2nd edition of “Ranking of States on Support to Start-up Ecosystems – 2019” was released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
The ranking exercise has been carried out by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The ranking frame work has 7 broad reform areas, consisting of 30 action points. In this ranking exercise, 22 States and 3 Union Territories participated.

Notes:
Global rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has estimated that India’s real GDP would contract by 11.5 per cent in fiscal year 2020-21.
Earlier, the agency has estimated that India’s economy would contract by 4.0 per cent during 2020-21. CRISIL also said that the collapse in GDP was one of the sharpest among all major G-20 nation and the growth is expected to rebound to 10.6 per cent in 2021-22.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Road Transport has notified regulations for upgrading emission & safety features in Indian automobiles.
The Ministry has also issued draft notifications for anti-lock braking systems (ABS), airbags, reverse parking assist and crash standards for Indian vehicles. The Ministry has stated that there are plans to bring Indian automotive industry at par with developed nations in such regulations.

Notes:
Japan’s Naomi Osaka has won the US open tennis women’s singles tournament. She played against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
This victory marks the 3rd Grand slam title of the Japanese player after 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open. Austria’s Dominic Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev in men’s singles final to win his first Grand Slam title.

Notes:
UN Day for South- South Cooperation is observed every year on September 12.
South-South cooperation is a manifestation of solidarity among countries of the South which aims to attain various development goals. It marks the 42nd anniversary of the 1978 adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.